Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ Sea of Broken Shards (part 4)

Despite this, what sent shivers down Dane's spine was the amount of damage required to make this happen. In perspective, the subject had been subjected to 240 years' worth of cellular repair in just 9 years, meaning the subject was basically flayed of its skin daily. This realization sent Dane recoiling back. What was supposed to be the body of a 26-year-old woman looked like a skinny mummy buried for over a 1000 years.

However, at that moment, as Dane was about to scream in terror, he caught a glimpse of a red-lensed camera staring right at him. She was watching. Scream and you prove yourself unworthy of her trust. Standing firm against the screams clawing at his mouth to be out, Dane understood the challenge before his eyes. KD-554 knew what she was doing, she knew how much the horror of the scene before him would break a normal man. It was the same fate awaiting Kadyn if Dane had squandered the illusion then and there.

You have a mouth, but you must not scream.

Dane had already witnessed too much suffering already. With how Jagger had played him during the Lynching Games, Dane was already struck with guilt over his actions. His psyche was already weak from all the anguish he had experienced. However, he fought and fought not to scream. The sight of Kadyn flashed over the corpse's image as Dane bit down on his lips.

"No! I'm not becoming an accomplice in another person's death anymore! I'm not your tool! I'M NOT YOUR TOOL! "

Thought Dane as he clenched his fists.

As the final itch of the screams faded down Dane's throat, he understood the level of malice inside KD-554's heart. She was not acting evil as a means, but she was malicious from the depths of her heart. This was the truth of what she was capable of, and even if she was enemy with KD-552, no sane person would take the time to inflict such suffering on a living being. With this understanding, Dane felt a sense of hatred burning inside his heart. Once again, she almost turned him into a tool of malice like Jagger did.

With fire in his eyes, Dane stared into the camera, teeth clenched in anger. He was ready to show his savage side to the devil of hate to save the ones he cares for. Though he could never naturally muster enough fury to drive his immoral side, the memories of what Jagger made him do and how KD-554 almost played him were enough to fuel his hatred. To beat a monster, you also need to unleash your monster.

[Dane] - "Very well! You want me to do what with her? "

Said Dane to the camera in a scornful voice.

On the other side, KD-554 smiled, interpreting Dane's anger as a sign of his progression toward the acceptance of his nature. There was a tense moment as Dane's face reflected off the crimson of KD-554's irises. Dane was being judged by a predator testing the authenticity of his rage.

[KD-554] - "Restore her to a conscious state. She had become a vegetable a year ago, and I'm not a fan of vegans like her. "

Said KD-554 over the intercom in a monotone voice.

Had she bought his act, or had she seen through him? Dane couldn't decipher her true mindset behind the veil of a monotone voice and anonymity behind the camera. All he could do now was to prove the authenticity of his savagery through action.

Inside the ominous gleam of a church-like place, McCree attended a ceremony hosted by Ivanovich in his name. Rows of chanting priests gathered in a circle around him and put his pistols on an altar. Not knowing how to react, McCree simply went with the flow, as he blindly partook in whatever crazy ritual Ivanovich was orchestrating. Together, the priests sprayed holy water onto him and his guns while Ivanovich himself arrived in a robe while holding a custom holy book with the cyberknight symbol on its cover.